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LOUIS  D.  WILSON 

Mexican  War  Martyr 


ALSO 


THOS.  H.  HALL 
ANDREW  JOHNSON 

As  He  Really  Was 

AND 

OUR   TOWN   COMMON 

FOUR  ARTICLES 

BY 

GASTON  LICHTENSTEIN 


RICHMOND,  VA. 

H.    T.    EZEKIEL,    BOOK    AND    JOB    PRINTER 
1911 


LOUIS  D.  WILSON 

Mexican  War  Martyr 


ALSO 


THOS.  H.  HALL 
ANDREW  JOHNSON 

As  He  Really  Was 


AND 


OUR  TOWN   COMMON 

FOUR  ARTICLES 

BY 
GASTON  LICHTENSTEIN 


RICHMOND,  VA. 

H.  T.  EZEKIEL,  BOOK  AND  JOB  PRINTER 
1911 


AN  EMINENT  SONJF  EDGECOMBE 

State  Senator  and  Volunteer  Soldier — Legacy  to  County 

How  often  does  one  hear,  "I  can't  remember  the  dates!" 
In  most  cases,  th^  person  speaking  has  made  little  effort  to- 
ward this  end.  It  is  true  that  memorizing  hundreds  of  dates 
would  be  useless  labor  to  those  whose  lives  are  devoted  to  com- 
mercial prosperity.  Yet,  these  same  business  men  would  find 
their  hours  after  work  more  enjoyable  if  they  possessed  a 
sufficient  knowledge  of  the  world's  history  to  occupy  them- 
selves with  a  helpful  diversion,  instead  of  wasting  their  time 
in  physical  pleasures  which  are  frequently  forced. 

Certain  years  mean  more  than  others  to  individuals.  So  do 
they  to  nations.  So,  also,  to  the  civilized  world.  Let  us  take 
the  year  1789.  In  Europe,  we  can  see  the  Bastille  being  de- 
molished  and  its  fragments  being  distributed  far  and  wide 
as  mementoes.  One  particular  relic,  saved  by  LaFayette  from 
the  destruction  wrought  in  this  opening  act  of  the  mighty 
French  Revolution,  finds  its  way  to  America. 

Washington  receives  the  key  of  the  infamous  prison  and 
deposits  it  in  his  home  at  Mount  Vernon.  Only  two  months 
and  a  half  before  the  fall  of  the  Bastille,  he  has  become  the 
first  President  of  a  new  nation.  We  now  recall  the  inaugura- 
tion scene,  on  April  30th,  1789.  New  York  is  filled  with  joy- 
ous patriots,  who  gaze  with  pride  upon  a  chief  magistrate 
of  their  own  choice. 

Down  in  North  Carolina  the  news  has  hardly  been  dis- 
seminated when  an  event  occurs  that  makes  no  impression,  ex- 
cept in  the  immediate  neighborhood.  A  child  is  bom  in 
Edgecombe — a  son  destined  to  serve  as  a  shining  example  of 
self-sacrifice  for  his  country's  honor.  Without  ostentation  of 
any  kind,  Louis  D.  Wilson  quietly  makes  his  entry  into  the 
world. 

240982 


At  this  time  Edgecombe  County  possessed  a  population  that 
laid  more  stress  upon  acquiring  wealth  than  upon  obtaining 
an  education.  There  were  the  cultured  few,  but  the  mass  of 
the  people  apparently  felt  the  need  of  money,  so  that  both 
the  causes  of  learning  and  religion  suffered.  However,  the 
hearts  and  minds  of  the  citizens  were  sound,  and  their  neg- 
lect of  spiritual  and  mental  development  may  be  attributed 
largely  to  indifference. 

In  1787,  the  State  Legislature  had  met  in  Tarboro,  which 
circumstance  speaks  well  for  the  town.  Four  years  later, 
Washington  spent  the  night  there  and  specially  mentioned  in 
his  diary  Tarboro's  reception  of  his  party.  He  said  that  he 
was  received  by  as  good  a  salute  as  could  be  given  by  one 
piece  of  artiller}'^;  also,  on  the  next  day,  that  a  number  of 
most  respectable  inhabitants  accompanied  him  part  of  the 
way  to  Greenville.  The  Father  of  his  County  noted  that  the 
town  was  more  lively  and  thriving  than  Halifax.  He  noted, 
too,  the  exports :  corn,  pork,  and  tar.  In  1803.  Bishop  Francis 
Asbury  complains  of  the  worldliness  of  its  citizens,  who  had 
more  wealth  than  religion.  Thus  we  get  an  insight  into  the 
life  of  the  community. 

As  the  county  seat  reflected  the  doings  of  the  x)eople  in 
general,  we  may  assume  Louis  D.  Wilson  received  only  the 
rudiments  of  an  education  and  then  went  to  work.  ^Vheeler's 
Eeminiscences  state  he  was  rather  a  student  of  men  than  of 
books  and  add  the  fact  of  his  success  in  business. 

The  date  of  Louis  D.  AYilson's  entry  into  public  life  ought 
to  be  easily  remembered.  He  first  served  in  the  lower  branch 
of  the  General  Assembly  of  North  Carolina,  during  the  year 
1815.  Students  of  history  will  at  once  think  of  Andrew 
Jackson's  victory  at  New  Orleans  and  Napoleon  Bonaparte's 
defeat  at  Waterloo.  Sufficiently  interesting  were  these  events 
to  awaken  in  any  ambitious  breast  an  ardent  desire  to  partici- 
pate in  larger  affairs  and  help  to  shape  the  political  future 
of  one's  own  land,  at  least. 

Throughout  almost  an  entire  generation  Edgecombe's  son 
serv^ed  the  State  in  some  capacity.     He  remained  in  the  House 


of  Commons  (as  the  lower  branch  was  called)  for  five  succes- 
sive terms.  Then  he  was  elected  to  the  Senate  for  a  year. 
During  the  next  three  elections,  he  gave  way  to  Hardy  Flow- 
ers, but  returned  to  the  upper  house,  in  1824,  for  a  period  of 
nine  years.  When  it  is  recalled  that  a  term  lasted  for  twelve 
months  only,  the  popularity  of  Louis  D.  Wilson  can  be  readily 
imagined. 

Hardy  Flowers  succeeded  him  again  in  1833.  For  five 
years  the  Legislature  was  deprived  of  his  services,  but  not  the 
State.  He  sat  in  the  Constitutional  Convention  of  1835,  be- 
fore which  many  matters  of  importance  were  ably  discussed. 
The  most  brilliant  minds  that  could  be  gathered  together 
within  the  confines  of  North  Carolina,  debated  on  measures  of 
absorbing  interest. 

After  the  Convention  of  1835,  members  were  elected  to  the 
Legislature  for  a  term  of  two  years.  Thomas  H.  Hall,  who 
had  represented  his  district  in  eight  United!  States  Con- 
gresses, received  the  honor  of  being  Edgecombe's  first  Sena- 
tor under  the  new  law.  How  few  men  to-day  would  be  will- 
ing to  close  their  career,  following  sixteen  years  of  service 
in  national  councils,  as  a  State  Senator!  Thomas  H.  Hall, 
friend  of  John  Eandolph,  of  Roanoke,  accepted  the  honor  and 
voted  against  North  Carolina's  reception  of  any  portion  of 
the  surplus  revenue  from  the  United  States  Treasury. 

Louis  D.  Wilson  succeeded  Dr.  Hall  in  1838,  and  continued 
to  hold  office  until  he  asked  leave  of  absence  to  fight  for  his 
country.  During  this  period  of  nine  years  in  the  Senate,  he 
became  a  favorite  and  won  the  sobriquet  of  the  Chesterfield  of 
that  body.  In  1842,  he  was  chosen  Speaker.  Before  passing 
to  the  dramatic  climax  of  his  life,  it  is  worth  while  to  add 
that  his  name  was  on  the  electoral  ticket  of  1836  and,  as  an 
elector,  he  voted  for  Martin  Van  Buren. 

Xiles'  National  Register,  published  at  Baltimore  (issue  of 
September  4th.  1847),  informs  its  readers  under  the  caption 
"War  With  Mexico:" 

"We  are  deeply  pained  to  learn  of  the  death  of  Colonel 
Wilson,  of  the  12th  infantiy.     He  was  represented  to  us  by 


the  last  arrival  as  convalescent,  but  he  died  the  evening  of 
the  12th  instant.  He  was  to  have  commanded  the  train  which 
left  Vera  Cruz  on  the  7th  instant.  He  was  buried  on  the  13th 
instant,  the  following  orders  having  been  issued  for  the  oc- 
casion. 

Order  No.  34. 
Headquarters,  Vera  Cruz,  Aug.  12,  1847. 

It  is  announced  to  this  command  the  melancholy  intelli- 
gence of  the  death  of  Col.  Louis  D.  Wilson  of  the  12th  Kegi- 
ment  U.  S.  Infantry,  who  died  on  this  date. 

The  escort  for  his  funeral  will  be  commanded  by  the  Lieu- 
tent  Colonel  commanding,  and  consist  of  the  1st  U.  S.  infan- 
try, stationed  in  the  city.  The  funeral  will  take  place  at  5 
o'clock  p.  m.  to-morrow,  to  which  all  the  U.  S.  navy,  citizens 
and  strangers  are  respectfully  invited  to  attend. 

By  order  of  Lieut.  Col.  Miles. 

W.  L.  Crittenden,  Act.  Adj." 

The  publication,  mentioned  above  (issue  Oct.  2nd),  quotes 
from  the  Washington  Union : 

"We  learn,  that  by  his  will,  the  late  Col.  Louis  D.  Wilson, 
of  the  twentieth  (sic)  infantry,  bequeathed  to  the  chairman 
of  the  county  court  of  Edgecombe  in  North  Carolina,  and  to 
his  successors  in  office,  forty  thousand  dollars,  to  be  applied 
to  the  support  of  the  poor  of  said  county.  This  act  of  charity 
is  touchingly  beautiful.  Colonel  Wilson  had  for  years  repre- 
sented the  county  of  Edgecombe  in  the  Senate  of  his  native 
State.  When  it  appeared  probable  that  the  requisition  for 
volunteers  made  by  the  President  on  the  Governor  of  North 
Carolina  would  not  be  met,  he  resigned  his  seat  in  the  Senate, 
volunteered,  and  was  elected  a  captain,  the  highest  post  to 
which  the  voice  of  his  men  could  elevate  him  and  in  that 
humble  rank  marched  to  Mexico.  Before  marching  he  made 
his  will,  and  evinced  his  gratitude  to  the  constituency  which 
had  so  long  honored  him  with  their  confidence,  and  his  chari- 
table regard  for  his  poor  neighbors,  by  this  munificent  be- 
quest. There  has  not  fallen  in  the  service  of  his  country  a 
braver  or  a  better  man." 


North  Carolinians  have  recognized  the  worth  of  Col.  Wil- 
son, but  they  probably  have  never  read  an  appreciation  of  him 
by  strangers.  The  two  extracts,  just  noted,  cannot  fail  to 
awaken  a  degree  of  pride  in  the  breasts  of  all  loyal  citizens 
who  recall  how  the  white-haired  patriot,  of  nearly  sixty,  left 
his  seat  of  dignity  to  participate  in  the  hardships  of  the 
army.  Here  was  a  man!  The  United  States  had  been 
brought  into  war  with  Mexico  but  political  parties  were  di- 
vided as  to  its  necessity.  North  Carolina,  among  other  States, 
hesitated  about  furnishing  troops.  Louis  D.  Wilson  saw  his 
duty  and  saved  the  State's  honor.  He  aroused  the  men  of 
Edgecombe  and,  having  formed  a  company  of  volunteers,  was 
the  first  to  offer  his  services  to  the  Governor.  His  patriotism 
awakened  North  Carolina. 

His  career  in  the  United  States  Army  was  short,  but  he 
made  his  mark.  On  the  5th  of  January,  1847,  he  became  a 
captain  of  volunteers;  on  March  3rd,  he  was  given  the  rank  of 
Colonel,  and  on  April  9th,  the  Twelfth  Infantry  was  placed 
under  his  command.  A  man  of  his  age,  unaccustomed  to  the 
Mexican  climate,  would  be  expected  to  feel  the  change  from 
the  delightful  temperature  of  Edgecombe  to  the  unhealthy 
lowlands  of  the  Torrid  Zone.  He  practically  sacrificed  him- 
self for  His  country. 

A  monument  on  the  Town  Common,  at  Tarboro,  stands  as  a 
constant  reminder  to  all  passers-by  that  Edgecombe  had  a 
son  who  "led  all  the  rest"  in  his  day.  The  State,  to  its  glory 
be  it  said,  erected  the  County  of  Wilson,  part  of  which  was 
carved  from  old  mother  Edgecombe.  When  the  Senate  bade 
him  farewell,  Louis  D.  AVilson  departed  with  the  possession 
of  their  deep  regard.  How  they  felt  is  expressed  in  the  fol- 
lowing resolution,  passed  without  dissent: 

''Whereas,  the  Senate  has  been  informed  that  one  of  its 
members  is  about  to  leave  the  halls  of  legislation,  in  North 
Carolina,  to  assume  the  more  arduous  and  perilous  duties  of 
the  camp  and  the  battle-field,  as  commander  of  the  volunteer 
companies  from  Edgecombe;  and,  whereas,  no  difference  of 
opinion  as  to  the  commencement  of  the  existing  war  between 


8 

the  United  States  and  the  Republic  of  Mexico  should  induce 
members  of  this  body  to  withhold  an  expression  of  the  opinion 
they  entertain  as  to  the  self-sacrificing  and  patriotic  conduct 
of  the  Senator  referred  to. 

"Be  it  therefore  unanimously  resolved  by  the  Senate  of 
North  Carolina  now  in  session,  that,  in  separating  from  their 
fellow-member,  the  Honorable  Louis  D.  Wilson,  Senator  from 
Edgecombe,  with  whom  many  members  of  this  body  have  been 
associated  for  years  in  the  Senate  chamber,  they  cannot  with- 
hold the  expression  of  their  high  sense  of  his  able,  dignified, 
and  patriotic  services  as  a  member  of  the  Senate,  and  further, 
to  express  the  conviction  that  in  the  more  arduous  and  hazard- 
ous duties  of  the  battlefield  he  will  be  no  less  distinguished  for 
patriotism,  courage,  and  never-failing  devotion  to  the  cause  of 
his  country." — From  the  North  Carolina  Review. 


THOiVlAS  H-  HALL 


While  in  Tarboro  for  a  brief  visit,  during  the  first  week 
in  January  (1910),  I  was  approached  by  an  estimable  lady 
of  the  town,  a  Daughter  of  the  Eevolution,  for  information 
concerning  Thomas  H.  Hall. 

I  had  read  Dr.  Battle's  sketch  of  the  lawyer-poet,  which 
appears  in  his  interesting  article  on  Edgecombe  in  1810,  (Our 
Living  and  Our  Dead,  Vol.  1) ;  and  the  life  of  the  physician 
of  the  same  name,  given  in  Wheeler's  history  of  North  Caro- 
lina, but  these  two  sources  were  unsatisfactory  except  for  the 
purpose  of  stimulating  a  desire  for  further  research. 

Thomas  Harminson  Hall,  the  poet,  must  not  be  confounded 
Avith  Thomas  H.  Hall,  the  physician.  Jeremiah  Battle  tells 
us  that  the  first  named  gentleman  possessed  considerable  nat- 
ural talents  with  the  advantages  of  a  grammatical  education. 


He  represented  Edgecombe  in  the  State  Convention  but  never 
afterwards  attempted  to  hold  office.  He  was  a  lawyer  of  some 
eminence  and  would  have  been  a  shining  character  if  a  strong 
poetical  genius  had  not  almost  led  him  away  from  his  pro- 
fessional studies.  His  poems  are  now  probably  lost,  but  they 
were  sufficient  to  form  a  handsome  volume. 

Before  leaving  the  lawyer-poet,  I  wish  to  emphasize  the  fact 
that  he  was  quite  conversant  with  the  Latin  classics.  He  es- 
pecially enjoyed  writing  satires  and,  often  while  his  opponent 
was  speaking  in  a  case,  he  would  occupy  his  time  in  evolving 
satirical  verses. 

Wheeler  states  that  Thomas  H.  Hall  was  a  friend  of  John 
Randolph,  of  Roanoke.  I  searched  several  biographies  of  the 
famous  Virginian  for  a  verification  of  this  bare  statement, 
and,  when  about  to  give  up  the  self-imposed  task,  my  more 
or  less  patient  labor  was  rewarded  with  success. 

It  may  be  well,  however,  to  mention  that  John  Randolph's 
best  friend  from  the  Old  North  States  was  Nathaniel  Macon, 
whose  name  occurs  frequently  in  the  writings  of  the  most 
prominent  descendant  of  Pocahontas.  Randolph  was  proud 
of  his  Indian  blood  and  displayed  (so  we  read)  certain  char- 
acteristics which  pointed  to  his  aboriginal  American  ancestry, 

Nathaniel  Macon  enjoys  the  distinction  of  having  his  name 
hyphenated  with  that  of  the  eloquent  Virginian  and  there  is 
hardly  a  person  in  this  section  of  the  State,  who  is  not 
familiar  with  Randolph-Macon.  The  combination  at  once 
suggests  the  Methodist  College  at  Ashland,  whose  football 
team  is  Richmond  College's  bitterest  rival. 

Returning  directly  to  our  subject,  I  desire  to  say  that  I 
hunted  for  additional  biographical  data,  and,  knowing  that 
Thomas  H.  Hall  had  served  several  terms  in  the  national 
House  of  Representatives.  I  employed  both  the  Biographical 
Congressional  Dictionary  (in  connection  with  a  dictionary  of 
national  biography)  and  an  Abstract  from  the  Congressional 
Record.  My  collection  of  sources  has  yielded  sufficient  ma- 
terial for  my  present  purpose,  which  is  to  present  a  figure 
seldom  heard  of  nowadays  but  one  deserving  a  lasting  place 
in  the  historv  of  North  Carolina. 


10 

Thomas  H.  Hall,  scion  of  a  good  stock,  was  bom  in  Edge- 
combe County  just  early  enough  to  be  a  British  subject  be- 
cause he  first  saw  the  light  of  day  in  1773.  He  received  a 
classical  education;  then  studied  medicine  and  practiced  at 
Tarboro. 

In  1817  he  went  to  the  national  capital  as  the  Eepresenta- 
tive  from  his  District  and  served  in  Congress  uinterruptedly 
until  1825.  He  was  defeated  for  the  Nineteenth  Congress, 
but  at  the  next  election  triumphed,  beginning  a  new  series  of 
successes  in  1827,  for  he  continued  to  hold  office  until  1835. 

Dr.  Hall's  public  career  was  truly  marked,  as  Wheeler  tells 
us  "with  a  devotion  to  popular  interests,  a  rigid  adherence  to 
the  Constitution,  and  a  stringent  economy." 

On  December  16th,  1828,  he  arose  in  the  House  and  said  that 
the  resolutions  he  was  about  to  present  had  been  suggested  by 
a  bill,  the  provisions  of  which  he  believed  to  be  unconstitu- 
tional. The  resolutions,  which  cannot  be  reproduced  here  on 
account  of  the  lack  of  space,  show  his  devotion  to  the  cause  of 
the  people,  for  he  says  therein,  that  the  people  of  the  United 
States,  in  the  formation  of  their  Governments  (note  the 
plural,  G.  L.)  did  not  alienate  their  sovereignty. 

Exactly  one  year  later,  on  December  16,  1829,  Thomas  H. 
Hall  said  (in  opposition  to  a  resolution  which  provided  for  a 
Standing  Committee  on  Education)  that  in  due  deference  to 
the  gentleman  who  presented  this  resolution  the  subject  was 
one  which  he  conceived  did  not  properly  come  within  the 
control  of  Congress. 

"I  shall,"  he  continued,  "therefore,  feel  myself  bound  to 
object  to  the  resolution.  The  subject  of  education,  evidently, 
so  far  as  legislation  can  be  carried  to  it,  properly  belongs  to 
the  State  authorities.  If  we  go  on  assuming  authority  over 
subjects  entirely  foreign  to  our  sphere  of  authority,  where  are 
we  to  end?  We  already  have  much  extrinsic  matter.  As  an 
instance,  I  will  mention  the  subject  of  agriculture;  over  which 
we  have,  I  believe,  a  Standing  Committee.  This,  I  have  al- 
ways been  at  a  loss  to  reconcile  to  my  idea  of  the  just  power 
of  Congress.    If  wo  go  on  engulfing  every  subject  to  which 


11 

legislation  can  be  carried,  to  what  result  must  we  come?  Shall 
we  not  effectually  assume  all  the  power  of  the  State  authori- 
ties? This  must  necessarily  be  the  result.  Sir,  there  is  a 
doctrine  advanced,  and  properly  advanced,  and  sustained  by 
the  Supreme  Court  of  the  United  States,  a  doctrine  properly 
deduced  from  one  of  the  plainest  provisions  of  the  Constitu- 
tion— it  is,  that  all  the  powei"s  of  the  Government,  though 
limited,  are  plenary,  within  their  proper  sphere.  I  admit 
the  soundness  of  this  doctrine;  but  if  so,  it  at  once  puts  this 
subject  to  rest.  I  presume  neither  the  gentleman  himself,  nor 
any  other,  will  pretend  that  the  States  have  not  the  right  to 
l^islate  on  this  subject.  If  this  be  so,  it  is  decisive  that  this 
Government  cannot,  because  its  power  over  the  subject,  being 
plenary,  is  necessarily  exclusive,  and  therefore  not  to  be  par- 
ticipated." 

Were  it  not  for  fear  of  extending  this  article  to  too  great 
length  I  would  gladly  quote  other  utterances  of  the  gentleman 
from  North  Carolina.  But  before  turning  away  from  the 
debates  in  Congress,  I  shall  direct  attention  to  the  remarks  of 
Dr.  Hall  on  the  general  appropriation  bill. 

On  April  8th,  1834,  an  attempt  to  increase  the  appropria- 
tion, in  order  to  secure  an  additional  clerk  for  the  State  De- 
partment, brought  forth  from  Dr.  Hall  an  opinion  that  ap- 
propriation bills  were  subsidiary  in  their  character,  and  the 
practices  of  extending  them  ought  to  be  restrained.  If  the 
service  needed  was  merely  a  contingent  duty,  why  not  pay  for 
it  out  of  the  contingent  fund. 

John  Randolph,  of  Koanoke,  was  one  of  the  most  conspicu- 
ous figures  in  Congress  during  the  early  part  of  the  nineteenth 
century  and  valiantly  defended  the  doctrine  of  State  rights. 
He  was  a  great  orator  and  his  speeches  to-day  make  interest- 
ing reading. 

The  latter  part  of  his  life  he  complained  much  and  must 
have  suffered  considerably.  To  his  friend.  Dr.  Brocken- 
brough,  he  wrote  a  letter  from  Washington,  November  29th, 
1828,  as  follows: 


12 

"My  Good  Friend — Your  kind  letter  reached  me  yesterday, 
but  too  late  to  thank  you  for  it  by  return  mail.  At  Fred- 
ericksburg, I  received  such  representations  of  the  Dumfries 
road,  as  to  induce  me  to  take  the  steamboat.  As  there  was 
only  one  other  passenger,  the  cabin  was  quite  comfortable. 
The  boat  is  a  new  one.  and  a  very  fine  one,  and  always  gets 
up  to  the  wharf.  Her  deck  is  roofed.  We  got  here  at  two 
o'clock  but  I  lay  until  eight.  Found  Dr.  Hall  (N.  C.)  here 
(at  Dawson's),  and  this  morning  Colonel  Benton  and  Mr. 
Gilmer  have  arrived. 

My  cough  is  very  much  worse,  and  the  pain  in  my  breast 
and  sides  increased  a  great  deal.  God  bless  you  both.  Pray 
write  as  often  as  you  conveniently  can.  Yours  ever,  J.  R., 
of  E." 

Another  letter  dated  Washington,  December  11,  1828: 

"Your  letter  shows  on  the  face  of  it  how  much  you  are 
straitened  for  time.  I  wish  I  could  spare  you  some  of  mine, 
that  hangs  heavy  on  my  hands.  In  addition  to  my  other 
annoyances,  I  am  laboring  under  a  severe  influenza,  and  might 
sit  for  the  picture  of  a  weeping  philosopher,  although  I  have 
as  few  claims  to  philosophy  as  Mr.  John  Quincy  Adams  him- 
self. He  rides  or  walks  around  in  front  of  the  Capitol  every 
day.  I  have  not  seen  him,  but  Hall  tells  me  that  he  does  very 
often,  and  that  the  sight  makes  him  feel  very  queerly.  "HE 
looks,"  says  Hall,  "as  if  he  did  not  know  me,  and  I  look  as  if 
I  did  not  know  him.."  His  appearance  is  wretched.  An  ac- 
quaintance of  mine  called  on  him  a  few  days  ago;  he  was 
much  dejected,  until  some  one  made  an  illusion  to  Giles,  when, 
in  great  wrath,  he  pronounced  G's  statements  respecting  him 
to  be  utterly  false;  said  G's  memory  was  inventive,  &c.,  and, 
on  the  whole,  conducted  himself  very  undignifiedly." 

After  serving  eight  terms  in  Congress,  Thomas  H.  Hall  re- 
turned to  North  Carolina  and  represented  Edgecombe  in  the 
General  Assembly  in  1836.  He  voted  against  the  reception 
by  the  State,  of  any  portion  of  the  surplus  revenue  of  the 
United  States  Treasurj'. 


13 

He  lived  to  the  "green  old  age"  of  eighty  years,  dying  at 
Tarboro,  June  30th,  1853.  Dr.  Hall  spent  his  latter  years  in 
retirement,  having  earned  both  the  regard  of  his  fellow  citi- 
zens and  the  right  to  undisturbed  peace. — From  the  Tar- 
borough  Southerner. 


ANDREW  JOHNSON,  flS  HE  REALLY  WAS 


Raleigh  Has  Cause  to  Be  Proud  of  Her  Native  Son 


To  THE  Editor  (of  the  News  and  Observer)  : 

I  read  with  pleasure  your  suggestion  that  the  North  Caro- 
lina delegation  ought  to  urge  the  next  Congress  to  make  an 
appropriation  to  build  a  monument  in  Raleigh  to  Andrew 
Johnson.  The  people  of  the  United  States,  generally,  and  I 
am  impelled  to  add,  the  people  of  North  Carolina,  particu- 
larly, know  little  of  Abraham  Lincoln's  successor  as  Chief 
Executive  of  a  troubled  nation.  Your  long  editorial  article 
was  entertaining,  but  more  than  this,  it  was  instructive. 
North  Carolinians  should  loiow  the  true  Andrew  Johnson. 

Two  years  ago  it  was  my  good  fortune  to  visit  Greeneville. 
Tenn.  The  mere  fact  of  a  former  President  of  the  United 
States  having  once  lived  in  this  town  would  have  excited  my 
curiosity  to  see  whatever  memorials  remained  and  to  learn 
from  the  inhabitants  any  facts  of  his  life,  gathered,  either 
through  personal  experience  with  him,  or  from  tradition. 
However,  I  must  confess  that  Andrew  Johnson  had  interested 
me  little  up  to  this  time.  His  service  to  the  South,  in  stand- 
ing against  the  horrors  of  Eeconstruction  had  not  been  im- 
pressed upon  my  mind.  But,  I  did  remember  that  he  had 
fallen  into  disfavor  and  had  narrowly  missed  dif^grace. 


14 

A  different  point  of  view  is  sufficient  to  cause  intelligent 
men  to  hold  widely  divergent  opinions.  It  is  not  surprising 
to  listen  to  a  variation  of  details,  when  two  persons  describe 
an  occurrence  they  have  witnessed  from  different  angles.  Yet 
human  beings  are  so  constituted  that  they  differ  to  a  sur- 
prising degree  even  in  essential  matters.  Stonewall  Jack- 
son's Valley  campaign  was  an  extraordinary  event  in  military 
history,  but  I  doubt  seriously  whether  the  Northern  teacher 
thinks  it  worth  while  to  lay  stress  upon  the  Southerner's 
movements.  Although  the  great  Confederate  general  ad- 
vanced against  four  Federal  Armies  in  turn,  I  dare  write  that 
the  average  Northerner  possesses  little  knowledge  thereof  and 
would  attempt  to  minimize  Jackson's  movements,  if  a  South- 
ern man  endeavored  to  enlighten  him. 

My  reason  for  introducing  the  preceding  paragraph  is  to 
show  how  a  child  may  receive  erroneous  impressions  which 
will  cling  to  him  during  his  entire  life.  School  histories,  for 
many  years  following  the  War  between  the  States,  were  writ- 
ten by  those  who  were  more  or  less  prejudiced  against  the 
South.  Therefore,  wrong  ideas  have  been  implanted.  Both 
sides  are  revising  their  opinions.  The  descendants  of  Confed- 
erates and  Federals  need  to  revise  their  opinions  of  the  offi- 
cial acts  of  Andrew  Johnson.  He  was  opposed  to  Secession, 
but  he  was  also  opposed  (o  the  fanatical  policy  of  unreasoning 
Northerners.  His  power  of  speech  won  many  men  over  to 
the  Union  side,  but  his  sense  of  right  did  not  desert  him. 
He  knew  that  the  advocates  of  States'  rights  had  hearts  and 
intellects.  He  intended  to  act  honorably.  We,  of  to-day,  can 
review  his  act  impassions tely. 

I  talked  to  a  num_ber  of  East  Tennesseans  who  knew  An- 
drew"  Johnson  personal  l3^  They  were  poor  men  and  unedu- 
cated. I  wanted  to  know  how  he  had  impressed  his  humble 
neighbors.  Without  exception,  the  replies  indicated  respect. 
One  old  man  told  me  that)CTohnson  was  always  the  same  to 
everybody,  that  he  was  free  from  ostentation  and  that  honors 
heaped  upon  him  did  not  make  him  forget  to  be  kind  to  the 


15 

humblest  citizen.  V  Another  said  he  had  heard  Greeneville^'s 
most  distinguished  citizen  make  a  speech,  at  the  outbreak  of 
hostilities,  which  caused  him  to  take  the  Union  side. 

I  saw  the  old  house  where  he  worked  at  the  tailor's  trade. 
The  sign,  made  by  himself,  was  still  above  the  door.  It  was 
crude  and  bore  the  simple  inscription,  A.  Johnson.  Mr.  Pat- 
terson, his  grandson,  received  me  at  the  much  more  pretentious 
home  where  Andrew  Johnson  lived  after  he  had  achieved 
fame.  The  table,  on  which  he  worked  as  a  tailor,  was  pointed 
out ;  also,  several  other  relics  of  interest  came  to  my  notice,  but 
mention  of  them  would  be  out  of  place  in  this  communication. 

Raleigh  can  be  proud  of  her  native  son.  Although  he 
adopted  Tennessee,  he  belongs  to  North  Carolina.  There  is 
such  a  thing  as  maternal  love  and  the  love  of  a  wife.  Tennes- 
see has  a  right  to  claim  him  but  his  fiilial  love  was  due  North 
Carolina.  The  Bible  tells  us  to  forsake  one's  parents  and  cling 
to  one's  life  partner,  but  it  tells  us,  also,  to  honor  parents. 
Tennessee  has  honored  Andrew  Johnson,  who  proved  worthy 
of  his  second  love.  Will  North  Carolina  show  her  apprecia- 
tion of  a  man  whose  name  will  become  brighter  on  the  pages 
of  history  because  he  had  the  courage  of  his  convictions,  in 
spite  of  overwhelming  hostility?  Vf\\\  she  erect  a  statue  to 
Andrew  Johnson? 


OUR  TOV\m  COMMON 

A  Rare   Possession  for  Any  Town,  of  Inestimable 
Value  and   Beauty 


Few  towns  of  the  size  of  Tarboro,  either  in  North  Caro' 
lina  or  adjacent  States  as  well,  can  boast  of  a  public  park 
comparable  to  the  Common.  Its  present  extent  is  only  a  frac- 
tion of  what  was  originally  set  apart  for  municipal  uses,  and, 


16 

if  the  future  City  Fathers  are  wise,  they  will  refuse  to  part 
with  another  foot  of  the  ground  now  devoted  exclusively  to 
all  outdoor  activities  of  the  citizenry. 

A  public  park  is  intended  to  be  a  breathing  space,  or  place 
of  recreation,  and  in  some  cities  of  the  United  States  the  sub- 
ject of  playgrounds  is  a  vital  question,  so  much  so  that  the 
municipal  authorities  are  forced  to  paj?^  big  prices  for  private 
property  which  could  have  been  purchased  for  a  reasonable 
sum  in  early  days  if  various  village  governments  had  pos- 
sessed the  foresight  to  provide  for  the  welfare  of  the  coming 
generations. 

When  Tarboro  was  "laid  off,"  in  1760,  it  contained  only 
one  hundred  and  fifty  acres,  but  about  fifty  of  these,  bound- 
ing the  incorporation  on  three  sides,  were  designated  for  the 
use  of  the  town.  To-day  Greater  Tarboro  covers  many  times 
the  original  area,  yet  that  portion,  distinctively  known  as  the 
Common,  in  all  its  spacious  splendor  appears  small  in  com- 
parison with  the  former  acreage.  True  it  is  that  the  town 
owns  a  great  deal  of  the  land  along  the  river  bank ;  however, 
unless  the  unsightliness  of  much  of  the  surrounding  property 
is  eliminated,  the  incongruity  of  a  park,  located  here,  would 
be  glaringly  apparent.  Nature  has  favored  the  banks  of  the 
Tar,  and  anyone  who  stands  on  the  county  bridge  during  the 
summer  when  the  growth  of  foliage  has  attained  its  maximum 
can  verify  this  assertion,  and  what  is  more,  discriminating 
eyes  force  the  onlooker  to  the  conclusion  that  Nature  is  more 
beautiful  than  Art. 

In  studying  the  development  of  public  squares,  or  com- 
mons, I  desire  to  call  attention  to  the  MARK  of  mediaeval 
times,  defined  by  the  (Century  Dictionary,  as  a  tract  of  land, 
during  the  middle  ages  in  England,  and  Germany,  belonging 
in  common  to  a  community  of  freemen,  who  divided  the  cul- 
tivated portion  or  ARABLE  MARK  among  their  individual 
members;  used  the  COMMON  or  ORDINARY  MARK  to- 
gether for  pasturnge  or  other  general  purposes;  and  dwelt  in 
the  VILLAGE  MARK  or  central  portion,  or  apart  on  their 
holdings. 


17 

J.  Fiske,  in  his  American  Political  Ideas,  page  40,  says: 
"The  pleasant  green  COMMONS  (notice  that  the  letter  's' 
is  added  to  denote  the  plural)  on  squares  which  occur  in  the 
midst  of  towns  and  cities  in  England  and  the  United  States 
most  probably  originated  from  the  coalescence  of  adjacent 
mark-communities,  where  by  the  border-land  used  in  common 
by  all  was  brought  into  the  centre  of  the  aggregate." 

Referring  ngain  to  the  Century  Dictionary.  I  find  that  the 
word  COMMON  is  first  set  down  as  an  adjective,  and  means, 
of  or  pertaining  to  all — that  it.  to  all  the  human  race,  or  to 
all  in  a  given  country,  region  or  locality;  and,  secondly,  as  a 
noun,  (note  the  singular  form)  meaning  a  tract  of  ground,  the 
use  of  which  is  not  appropriated  to  an  individual,  but  be- 
longs to  the  public  or  to  a  number. 

It  is  my  opinion  that  the  tendency  of  local  urban  residents 
persistently  to  pluralize  COMMON  in  speaking  or  writing  of 
Tarboro's  public  park  comes  from  the  influence  of  uneducated 
negro  servants  whose  species  of  pidgin  English  has  made  a 
more  or  less  permanent  imprint  upon  the  white  population. 

A  little  thought  along  this  line  will  probably  bring  forth 
the  following  facts:  first,  the  general  conclusion  that  impres- 
sions received  during  childhood  will  influence  later  life  to  a 
certain  degree.  A  priest  of  one  of  our  great  religious  organi- 
zations is  reported  to  have  said  in  substance  that  if  he  were 
given  the  care  of  a  child  for  the  first  nine  years  of  his  life, 
anybody  could  take  him  after  that  time. 

Secondly,  the  particular  observation  that  the  adult  mind 
contains  a  certain  amount  of  superstition,  implanted  by  the 
nurse,  which  education  may  for  the  most  part  dispel,  but  does 
not  eradicate  completely. 

On  a  number  of  occasions  I  have  noticed  the  uneducated 
negro's  habit,  without  any  apparent  reason,  of  adding  the  let- 
ter 's'  to  words  used  neither  in  a  plural  nor  possessive  sense. 
Whatever  the  cause,  it  is  a  patent  peculiarity. 

There  is  in  Barton  Heights,  a  suburb  of  Richmond,  Vir- 
ginia, a  thoroughfare  by  the  name  of  Luck  Avenue.  One  day 
I  was  astounded  by  a  negro  who  asked  me  to  direct  him  to 


18 

Luck's  Avenue.  Also,  in  Eichmond,  a  man,  called  Dugan  or 
Duggan,  has  received  from  the  colored  people  the  appellation 
of  Dugans. 

Even  as  I  write,  I  can  hear  the  Edgecombe  name  Sugg 
lengthened  to  Suggs.  It  was  pronounced  in  this  manner  by  a 
young  man,  a  former  pupil  of  the  Tarboro  High  School. 

Here  in  Tarboro  one  hears  Zanders  so  often  that,  if  my 
maternal  grandfather,  Gaston  Zander,  or  George  as  he  was 
familiarly  known,  (whose  pracnomen  I  received  one  week  af- 
ter birth),  was  alive  to-day  and  could  mingle  with  the  citi- 
zens of  town  and  county  as  was  his  wont  thirty  odd  years  ago, 
at  times  he  would  be  tempted  to  follow  the  prevailing  fashion. 

Through  the  kindness  of  that  genial  gentleman  and  effi- 
cient official,  Clerk  John  A.  Weddell,  there  lies  before  me  a. 
typewritten  copy  of  the  Acts  of  the  General  Assembly  in 
relation  to  the  Town  of  I  arboro. 

In  order  to  support  my  contention  that  the  correct  usage  of 
COMMONS  applies  only  to  the  plural,  when  one  refers  to 
land  devoted  to  public  purposes,  section  one,  of  the  Act  passed 
November  30th,  1760,  for  establishing  a  town  on  the  land  of 
Joseph  Howell  on  Tar  Eiver,  herewith  follows: 

"1.  WHEREAS  it  hath  been  represented  to  this  Assembly, 
that  the  land  of  Joseph  Howell,  lying  on  the  South  side  of 
Tar  Kiver,  in  Edgecombe  County,  is  a  healthy,  pleasant  situ- 
tion,  well  watered,  and  commodious  for  trade  and  commerce: 
and  James  Moir,  Lawrence  Tool,  Aquilla  Sugg,  Elisha  Battle 
and  Benjamin  Hart,  have  contracted  with  the  said  Joseph 
Howell  for  the  purchase  of  one  hundred  and  fifty  acres  of  the 
said  land,  and  have  accepted  and  taken  a  deed  of  feoffment 
for  the  aforesaid  one  hundred  and  fifty  acres  from  the  said 
Joseph  Howell,  and  caused  the  same  to  be  laid  off  in  lots  and 
streets,  and  also  a  part  thereof  for  a  COMMON  (note  the  sin- 
gular form),  for  the  use  of  the  said  town,  and  have  sold  a 
great  number  of  the  said  lots  of  half  an  acre  each  to  sundry 
persons,  who  are  desirous  that  a  town  shall  be  established 
thereon,  for  promoting  Mie  trade  and  navigation  of  the  said 
river." 


19 

On  the  18th  of  November,  17&6,  in  support  of  my  claim  I 
find  evidence  in  the  Act  that  passed  the  General  Assembly 
entitled,  "An  act  to  establish  the  late  survey  and  plan  of  the 
town  of  Tarboro,  as  made  and  laid  down  by  the  direction  of  the 
Commissioners  composing  the  body  politic  and  corporate  of  the 
said  town,  and  to  amend  an  act  entitled,  'An  Act  for  The 
Better  Eegulation  of  The  Town  of  Tarboro.' 

WHEREAS  it  is  represented  to  this  General  Assembly, 
that  from  the  irregular  manner  in  which  most  of  the  buildings 
first  erected  in  the  town  of  Tarboro  have  been  placed,  as  well 
as  to  prevent  in  future  the  erecting  of  others  in  like  manner, 
it  hath  been  judged  advisable  by  the  inhabitants  of  the  said 
town  generallv,  that  the  width  of  the  streets  thereof,  should 
be  curtailed  and  their  limits  fixed  with,  precision,  and  it  being 
further  represented  that  pursuant  thereto  the  Commissioners 
have  caused  an  accurate  survey  of  the  said  town  and  TOWN 
COMMON,"  etc. 

Sufficient  data  have  been  produced  to  prove  conclusively 
that  Tarboro's  public  park  should  be  called  the  TOWN  COM- 
MON and,  not  the  COMMONS. 

Let  us  return  to  the  COMMON  itself  and  ask  ourselves 
whether  the  citizens,  as  a  whole,  appreciate  its  possession? 
Will  they  organize  into  a  Civic  Improvement  League  and 
beautify  the  park?  Will  they  make  an  effort  to  find  out  what 
other  communities  have  done  along  similar   lines? 

By  removing  the  Louis  D.  Wilson  monument  from  the 
Court  House  yard  to  its  present  position  and  in  the  erection 
of  the  Confederate  memorial  through  the  untiring  efforts  of 
the  patriotic  daughters  of  Edgecombe,  steps  have  been  taken 
in  the  right  direction. 

The  writer  hopes  that  at  no  distant  day  the  present  wooden 
school  structures,  unsymrnetrical  and  ill  to  look  upon,  will  be 
supplanted  by  one  modern  building,  durable,  fireproof  and 
sanitary.  If  he  is  allowed  to  hope  farther^  the  new  schools 
will  not  be  built  on  the  Common,  but  from  Lloydfield  to 
Hilma  will  be  an  unobstructed  stretch  of  landscape,  save 
where  the  stately  oaks  tower  above  the  surrounding  view. 


20 

Adorn  it  with  flowers  and  rare  shrubs  in  order  to  develop 
a  sense  of  the  beautiful.  George  Henry  Lewes,  in  his  Prob- 
lems of  Life  and  Mind,  says,  '•Beauty,  if  it  does  not  take 
precedence  of  utility,  is  certainly  coeval  with  it." 

A  love  of  the  beautiful  also  awakens  a  higher  moral  feeling, 
as  Lowell  tells  us:  "Comparative  criticism  teaches  us  that 
moral  and  esthetic  defects  are  more  nearly  related  than  ij- 
commonly  supposed." — From  The  Southerner. 


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